Hello all,
Are there any manufacturers that make 1/35th civilian vehicles that I could use in a Vietnam diorama?
I know that Tamiya do the Citroen 11cv ( #35301 ) which was a WWII era vehicle. I've seen a photo of one in Hue. But are there any more? Cars, vans, bikes, etc, etc?
Thanks in advance for any help rendered.
Joe.

None that I know of. There are a few 1/32 cars and trucks that could be used in the era. They were made by Monogram, Revell, AMT, and MPC. They are snap-tites, but with some effort and extra detailing, can come out nicely. Here is a SF Toyota cew cab I made out of two 1/32 snap-tite Toyota truck kits. All are now OOP, but do pop up often on eBay. I know there was a '55 Chevy that could be modified to work. Arii also does a nice line of Japanese cars and trucks in 1/32 as well. Some of their 3-wheeled cart-like trucks may work.

You can also check out 1/32 or 1/34 diecast models. Many of them are quite well detailed and can be used with some modification. First Gear does some nice ones in 1/34 diecast that would probably work. Check out my VIP Protective Detail in Iraq dio in progress to see what can be done with a diecast.

Good luck.

You could try tracking down the Arri "Owner Club" series of 1/32 scale vehicles.
The series are basic curbside 1/32 scale Japanese cars and trucks from the 1950's to 1970's.
Although hard to find, at the usual internet stores, they appear to be is stock at Rainbow Ten

Hi Joe
Maybe you could try to turn Arii's Daihatsu Midget :


into a Lambretta....Those were/are quite ubiquitous in Vietnam :


HTH

Frenchy

Hi guys,
Thanks for your recent replies. It's funny, because I have that Arii 3 wheeler already!
You know, I was thinking of mentioning that in the original post but then I missed it out by mistake when I was typing.
I'm going to check the rest of the info out, though. Thanks for that guys!
With respect, I know Vietnam was/ is a very poor country but how prolific were civilian cars in Vietnam & what areas would you find them most?
If I did a dio about the fighting for Hue during Tet '68, say, would 2 or 3 civilian trucks / cars / bikes look out of place?
I look forward to your replies.
Joe.

In the cities, there were quite a few cars and trucks. Most were French Citroens, Renaults, and US vehicles. Here are a few pics to illustrate it for you.

US-looking truck in background.


Saigon city street


US-looking sedans


Asian buses on HW 1


Buses in Saigon


The section of Hue that the US Marines operated in in Tet '68 would not have many cars since it was the old Imperial City area where roads were narrow and cars were restricted due to this.

Good luck.

Migs modern burnt out car looks rather suitable in Vietnam. Im not sure what its mean to represent, but it looks like a generic old car.

Blue is Renault 4CV and police Jeep


This is no US sedans but Renault 4CV


This is from left Saviem Furgon and two Renault Furgon

Thanks for all your input here guys. The photos are great!
I know about the jeep but does any of the other vehicles come in kit form around about the 1/35 range?
I like the buses & Lambrettas. They would look good in a dio.
Also, the strrets of Hue south of the perfume surely would have been able to take cars as the boulevards look pretty wide in my photos. Up around the traffic circle near the university look the roads dont look too cramped to me. Hell, they were getting M48's & 42's up there!
Miloslav, I'll be in touch soon regarding the M54's & other stuff!
Joe.

The Jeeps in the below pic look to be a Jeep CJ5 (M38A1) for the blue/white police vehicle, and a Army CJ3B behind it.



CJ5 and M38A1



CJ3B


The M38A1 is available from AFV Club. There was a comical, toy Mitsubishi-built CJ3B available from Okuno that can be converted into a nice, scale CJ3B with some work. Jim "Gunny" Lewis did it here.

Talking about Skybow/AFV Club M38A1, Accurate Armour has released a set to convert it to a civilian CJ5 :
http://www.accurate-armour.com/ShowProduct.cfm?manufacturer=0&category=66&subcategory=41&product=87

I think that some 1/35 diecast US pick-ups should be usable for a Vietnam dio as well :
1955 Chevy :


You can find them on eBay for cheap...


HTH

Frenchy

boy do those photos bring back memories!!! Used to see peoplen hanging onto them from the outside while the interior was cramed with people! There also was a bigger one that ran regular routes everyday. You followed them as they knew exactly where the mines were planted long before they ever got there.
gary

I think that the three vehicles on the left are in fact Renault Goelette (aka Renault 1000kg) minibuses. SAVIEM-built trucks were heavier. The blue van on the right appears to be built on a Renault Colorale chassis :






Frenchy

Wow!
These are great pictures! I think putting something like this on a dio would be great; particularly a Vietnam piece as civilians were usually pretty close to the fighting. Hell, it often was the civilians doing the fighting, wasn't it?
Thanks guys.
Joe.

Most civilians did little if anything except try to sell you a can of hot beer or soda for a buck. Couldn't be trusted, and many were VC anyway. Once you learned they were easy to spot
gary

Hiya fellas,
I've been doing a little research into what is available & found a VW Beetle in 1/35th by CMK.
You can get either the Type 82 or Type 87. I'll have to look closer to see which one is best but would the Vietnamese have had VW Beetles in Vietnam during the war?
Answers would be greatly appreciated, as always.
Joe.

Yes
Saigon 1970


But you'll have to do some surgery on the WW2 model to turn it into a 1960's version ( the bigger rear window appeared in 1957 for instance...)

Frenchy

Hiya Frenchy,
Thanks very much indeed for your input & photo.
You're very knowledgable about many things, aint ya!
All the very best to you, my friend.
Joe.

No Joe, I just spend much (too much ? ) time surfing the Web Another option for a postwar Beetle is Welly's diecast "1/34th scale" one. The scale may be closer to 1/35...You can find some on eBay.


HTH
Frenchy

Arii also makes a few 1/32 (actually closer to 1/34) Beettles in the Owner's Club plastic line.

on the site from www.hwjapan.com lots of 1:32 scale models

You can try with Italeri 1/35 Volkswagen Typ 87. You need to modify some things. I think it's good for your dio !

Hi Cuong,
Thanks for the info. That's a great help. I wish I could find a 1/35th / 1/34th / 1/32nd Lambretta Lambro 450 somewhere! Any ideas?
Joe.

It's very difficult for you if you want to look for LAMBRETTA with 1/35 scale. I found this item from ebay but unfortunately it made with 1/43 sacle

Hi Joe,

There's a ARII midget on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1957-Daihatsu-Midget-1-32-Scale-Arii-Owners-Club-07_W0QQitemZ390163255021QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5ad78aceed

and a UK based shop that has some ARII models:
http://www.modelwholesaleuk.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=14198

and some 1/32 diecast models that could be of some use:
http://www.motormint.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=207

hope this helps a little
Mark